Waiting for the rodent monsters to return to their nest was the right decision. Like it or not, their numbers were in the thousands, which meant it would be extremely difficult for Jyu to survive if he fought them all.

  They hunted, killing one another to obtain food. Rabbit monsters against rats—it was truly an impressive spectacle of battle. In truth, the rabbit monsters were fewer in number, but their bodies were far rger. Yet size was not everything; they were still overwhelmed by the rat monsters, whose numbers were greater.

  In mere moments, corpses from both sides were already strewn across the ground. But their carcasses quickly vanished, carried off by the victors, dragged back into the nest to become breakfast.

  Jyu could only stare in shock at how brutal their fight was. “Better I stay up here than die,” he muttered.

  But for how long? That was the question in Jyu’s mind. He was now hanging from a cone-shaped rock. If this went on for hours, his stamina would surely run out.

  Jyu estimated their battle would st at least until noon. That meant he had to endure atop the rocks for five hours or more. Could he st?

  Jyu did not want to take risks. Fortunately, he already had a cloak made from rabbit monster skin. Still hanging from the rocks, Jyu began turning his cloak into a hammock. He tied each corner between two cone-shaped rocks. His simple hammock was complete!

  Jyu rested while waiting for their battle to subside. “Once again, I have to wait for them to go hunting,” Jyu grumbled, annoyed because the previous day he had been forced to do the same thing.

  ---

  As the sun climbed higher, the hunting carried out by the rabbit and rat monsters gradually subsided. Almost all of them had returned to their respective nests to feast on their prey. Only a few monsters remained wandering about, perhaps lost and unable to find their way back.

  Jyu had waited atop the rocks for more than four hours. Deep down, he was panicking because time kept moving forward. Four hours wasted. Now, only some time remained before midnight, when his borrowed demonic power would expire.

  “I’m going down now!”

  His patience was gone. Jyu cut down his hammock and descended. Running northward, he put his cloak back on to protect his body from the scorching sunlight.

  Of course, Jyu still encountered a few lost monsters. He did not run. Instead, he immediately drew his sword and killed them all.

  “Out of my way, ugly rat!”

  With a gre, Jyu charged at the rat monster blocking his path. With a single leap, his sword tore across the bck creature’s back. Its scream of pain rang sharply. Jyu paid it no mind and kept running toward Tyrex.

  Now the distance between him and the great monster grew closer. From afar, Tyrex still appeared asleep. Its breathing was loud enough that Jyu shuddered slightly in fear upon hearing it.

  This region was like a byrinth, with cone-shaped rocks standing close together. Because of that, Jyu sometimes could not see far ahead. He could not predict what threats might come—just as he continued running toward Tyrex.

  As he rounded a rge rock, he unexpectedly encountered a group of rabbit monsters. Four of them immediately grew furious at Jyu’s arrival. Threatening sounds escaped their throats, their snorts of anger faint yet clear.

  Jyu could not avoid this fight. But trauma lingered in his mind from battling these creatures the night before. His wounded hand throbbed even more painfully. Still, Jyu could not afford weakness if he truly wished to reach Tyrex.

  The four rabbit monsters charged together. Seeing this, Jyu abruptly stopped. Instead, he ran backward, circling a nearby cone-shaped rock.

  His strategy was to hide behind it. Soon, the four monsters appeared. Jyu swiftly ambushed them—within seconds, two y fallen on the ground. The remaining two fled, avoiding Jyu’s attacks.

  “Come at me!” Jyu shouted while continuing to spin his sword.

  The two monsters only snorted without attacking, then left just like that!

  “Cowards,” Jyu muttered after defeating them.

  Jyu resumed his journey. He kept running north tirelessly while eating his provisions. It was midday—time for lunch. His stomach growled with hunger; his body felt weary and sore.

  Now, only twenty meters separated him from Tyrex. Jyu remained hidden behind rocks while observing the still-sleeping monster. His mind worked quickly, devising a strategy.

  There was one pn Jyu found reasonable with minimal risk. He recalled the moment when the rodent monsters had swarmed Tyrex, yet the dinosaur-like beast had not awakened at all. Perhaps Jyu could imitate that!

  “I’ve already wounded one of its eyes—maybe it’s blind now. If I injure the remaining eye, maybe I can defeat it.”

  A reasonable pn—but would it be that simple? If he did not try, he might never know the answer.

  Jyu began approaching Tyrex slowly. His steps were light and careful, hoping to make no sound whatsoever. Even if it would not wake Tyrex, fear still gripped him. His adrenaline surged higher and higher.

  The Tyrex monster was enormous. When Jyu stood beside it, he looked like an ant beside its body.

  Jyu lingered for quite some time beside the sleeping creature. He steeled his heart, forcing away fear before climbing onto Tyrex’s face. With both hands, he gently patted his own cheeks and head.

  “You can do this. You can!” he whispered.

  Jyu began climbing Tyrex’s face. The monster’s skin was extremely hard, its scales forming footholds. He crawled upward slowly, careful not to move excessively lest he awaken the beast.

  But suddenly Tyrex shifted. Jyu froze immediately, praying the monster would not wake from its sleep. His heart pounded violently, as if it would leap from his chest.

  Yet Tyrex did not awaken. It only snorted loudly through its nostrils, as though expelling an itch within its nose.

  Though Tyrex grew still again, Jyu did not immediately continue climbing. He needed to calm his fear first; his body still trembled from panic.

  For about two minutes, Jyu remained motionless, steadying himself. After that, he resumed climbing Tyrex’s face. In moments, he reached the top—standing upon the monster’s nose.

  Jyu swiftly drew his sword and stepped carefully toward the uninjured eye. His hand was ready to ssh his enemy’s eye. But…

  Suddenly, the monster’s eye snapped open wide.